A Part of Us

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”
Helen Keller

Happy Monday! 

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and got some self-care amid all the fun!

In SoCA, we enjoyed a tease of Autumn last week, but the heat is rising to Summer level in the next few days. Some of you are reading this in another part of the world and looking into Spring. When I’m in contact with my dear friends around the globe, I usually start the conversation with something about the time of day and the weather I’m experiencing.

The funny thing is, my friends abroad almost always have to remind me that they’re experiencing something entirely different. It’s not that I’m unaware; it’s that I view things from my own lens – most of us do the same. When we take a moment to realize that ours isn’t the only way to look at circumstances, we begin to open our perspectives to include more than our own realities.  

In that light, I was contemplating grief over the weekend. I have a dear friend who is experiencing an unimaginable form of despair to which none of us can ever relate until we have to face the same. Her plight caused me to pause to ponder that we all face some loss at various points in our lives but seldom in our daily interactions consider that others may be silently suffering. It opens up an entirely new place for grace and mercy to go before us as we try to understand things from the vantage point of their experiences rather than our own.

You see, we are created to love deeply. In most instances, our love is extended to those around us who have touched our lives. Grief can also be experienced in losing a job we put our hearts and souls into or a project that has come to a natural end. It could be about a companion or pet who became our emotional support. Or it might be a change of the season we find ourselves facing, whether right on time, premature, or a little later than expected. The constant truth is that what we feel deeply about has a habit of working into the fabric of our lives in a way that cannot be dismissed or denied.

I treasure this quote from Helen Keller because it so fittingly describes my feelings about loss:

And what happens when things become a part of us is an incredible gift, sometimes disguised as unfathomable loss, in the moment. Yes, it will take time in many instances to recover from the absent space that remains. There may be incredible pain in letting go, and there may be the sense of being unable to go on without the object of our love. Time will heal us. Those who become a part of us in a new way will fill some of the emptiness. But we will continue to love deeply and allow the new to become a part of us.

I love this version from The Message in Psalm 34:18 about loss and grief:

“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.”

This week, take some time to consider what loss another may be facing. Imagine yourself in the other person’s circumstance and think about what you would like in support and understanding. You may be the catalyst to a new depth of relationship, a place of relief and empathy, or a breath of fresh air in a time of sadness. Let’s make deeply loving a part of us!

Be Well & Be Blessed!

Lucinda